#64 Encourage Companies

We all know that initiating change in both personal and corporate behavior is challenging, but speaking up is the first step to becoming that agent of change. We often forget that we have the “power of the purse” to be able to influence what is sold in the marketplace by what we buy in the marketplace. And if there are products that make us uncomfortable because they use too much plastic, we can voice our opinion to the manufacturer or vendor that we would prefer they offer items with less or no plastic. There are many options available to companies to meet this desired outcome, but it has been easy to propagate the existing trends because no one has spoken up to demand something different. Fortunately, there are some innovative efforts under way to address consumer concerns. One example is Loop, a delivery system that does away with disposable containers and provides consumers with reusable packaging…like how we used to get milk bottles delivered to our doorsteps. Behind the “Loop” is a New Jersey-based international recycling company TerraCycle, which has brought on board many partnering companies like Nestle, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, and Häagen-Dazs. Read more…https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/about-terracycle.